-- Connecting the dots between our economy, government and business --
At Loretto Hospital in Chicago, where the city’s first Covid-19 vaccine was administered on Tuesday, 40% of the staff do not plan to get it, according to a survey this month.
Schools largely appear to have avoided reductions in Pritzker’s $711 million in budget cuts, with two exceptions: cuts to maintenance grants that districts use for keeping up school facilities and possible personnel furloughs at the state agency level.
A lawsuit over the planned center’s campus in Jackson Park was effectively killed in August after a federal appeals court panel ruled the plaintiffs did not suffer actual harm and that much of their grievances were not within the court’s jurisdiction. But its chief litigant is vowing to appeal up to the Supreme Court.
Also Wednesday, Lightfoot said there wasn’t a FOIA request filed for the video, and said a Tribune report saying so was “reckless and irresponsible.” On Thursday, she corrected herself, saying Young did file a FOIA request and it was denied by the city.
Illinois spends more than any other state on pensions and only has about 40% of what it needs to meet its obligations. Illinois would either need to spend more than half of the state budget on pensions or raise taxes on the median income family by over $1,800 a year to eliminate its pension debt.
Illinoisans continue to encounter job losses, some caused by government-imposed restrictions. Of those who remain employed, the strain may be having an effect. Sixty-three percent of small business owners are concerned about employee morale. More than half (55%) report working longer hours than before the pandemic and around 30% report a worsening of mental health.
Tom Haine, Madison County’s new State’s Attorney, said, “I am now making these legal opinions public to provide a clear reference point for both public officials and private citizens relating to COVID-19 enforcement in Madison County, and to alleviate the concerns of many individuals who rightly feel an obligation to follow the law but are confused as to what the law actually is regarding the many COVID-19 mitigation protocols issued over the past months.”
Aside from extending the moratorium, the researchers called on the state Legislature to enact other protections for renters, including allowing temporary seals on eviction cases to make it easier for people forced out of their homes to find another apartment.
On Wednesday, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin and Sen. Tammy Duckworth , along with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio introduced the Relief for Working Families Act, a bipartisan legislation that would provide states discretion to waive PUA overpayments for individuals who acted in good faith and played no role in securing surplus benefits.
Juneteenth marks the June day in 1865 that Union soldiers told enslaved African Americans in Texas that the Civil War had ended and they were free.
Americans for Prosperity Illinois Director Andrew Nelms said ending loopholes is good if the eye is on making the tax code simpler, fairer and more competitive with other states. “But if anyone is looking to eliminate carve-outs and loopholes and exemptions merely as a tool to increase government revenue, then I believe that approach is wrongheaded.”
After U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, received notice of fraudulent benefits in his name, he tried to call IDES to no avail; instead, he took to Twitter and subsequently had a debate with the state agency on the social media platform.
Most areas of the state apparently avoided a post-Thanksgiving surge that Pritzker warned about, and a couple regions have met the requirements to move back to Tier 2 mitigations, which would reopen many businesses. Pritzker says he continues to follow the science.
“Chicago Public Schools is facing an educational crisis that can only be addressed by safely opening our doors to address deepening inequities that disproportionately harm Black and Brown students,” district spokesperson Emily Bolton said in a statement following the board’s ruling. “It’s time for the CTU to put students first and be supportive partners in the effort to safely reopen classrooms for the families who need us now more than ever.”
“We will request that the IELRB set a trial date for next week and for a decision to issue the first week of [January],” the CTU said in a statement after the ruling. “Without that timeline, CPS could be allowed to put people in danger with its unilateral plan that likely will end up being declared illegal after the fact. In such case, all options will be on the table for our union to enforce our rights and protect the health, safety, and livelihoods of students, educators and all families.”
In total, 118 investigations were conducted citywide Dec. 10 to 13. So far during the pandemic, the department has issued 355 citations and investigated 7,184 businesses.
Investigations conducted in 2017 and 2018 by the Chicago Police Department and the Civilian Office Police Accountability often ended prematurely and improperly for lacking signed affidavits even “when there was objective, verifiable evidence” that could be used instead.
“Please consider this when you’re out running and gunning, chasing,” union president John Catanzara said on the Facebook Live. “I get it’s hard to turn that off. You see something. You think you want to jump in and get it. Well, just think about this department. They don’t give a damn about you.”
For comparison, during the same timeframe last year, 15,076 people filed claims in Illinois. That’s an 818% increase. There were 107,616 new unemployment claims filed in Illinois the previous week, the week of Nov. 29.
The last time Illinois saw unemployment claims at these levels was in April, when most of Illinois was locked down as part of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 mandates. The peak for initial unemployment claims was 202,157 for the week ending April 4.
Pension debt across the five state retirement systems equaled $230 billion at the end of fiscal year 2019, according to credit rating agency Moody’s Investors Service. That was equal to nearly 26% of gross domestic product, giving Illinois the worst pension debt-to-GDP ratio among all 50 states for the fourth consecutive year.
An educational, extended interview on alternative journalism, media’s financial challenges, censorship and Center Square’s recent experience with Twitter.
Anjanette Young, 50, is a hospital social worker and was undressing for bed when a dozen Chicago police officers armed with a search warrant, smashed through her front door in February 2019. The officers handcuffed Young as they searched her home for a suspect, who actually lived several houses away.
Instead of sparking a neighborhood revival, 2800 W. Madison has become an illustration of the complications, frustrations and politics of economic development in an area devastated by generations of disinvestment.
“We’re not questioning if there’s a revenue shortfall, but we think it’s wrong to target one group like this and expect state employees to pick up an unfair share of that burden,” said Mike Newman, deputy director, AFSCME Council 31.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb and Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, joined Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in producing the video message, urging residents to “reconsider” holiday travel amid the pandemic.
There are enough condos on the market in the Loop to fuel 24 months of sales. Four to six months of inventory is typically considered healthy.
Ted was on with Tom Miller this week talking about how Illinois is shrinking more than any other state in the nation. “When you lose your population as Illinois is, restaurants can’t stay open, small businesses can’t stay open, companies can’t hire enough high-quality people…you can’t maintain your tax base, you can’t maintain quality of life, it becomes a death spiral.”
Brad Cole, of the Illinois Municipal League: “As it stands today, just 6.06 percent of revenue from individual income taxes and 6.845 percent of revenue from corporate income taxes is being sent to support communities across Illinois; a far cry from 10 percent. In other words, after 40 years of success, the past decade has seen the state fail to honor its agreement as the local share of income tax revenue has been nearly cut in half.”
“The reality is the solution to violent crime isn’t just a law enforcement solution. There are things that have happened long before that final trigger is pulled. And that there are people in the community who know what the issues and needs are who may be fearful engaging with law enforcement,” she said.
A shouting match between Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Ald. Byron Sigcho-Lopez (25th) prompted Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa (35th) to chime in: “Personal attacks on members of this body are out of order.”
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